Islam Comes to Merida

Before we settled in Merida, we had traveled the world. We had been to Europe, at least, and Southeast Asia, and Nepal. We had seen communities of many kinds. And everywhere we had been, we had seen Christian churches, Jewish synagogues, Buddhist temples and Islamic mosques. One of our first impressions of Merida initially was how dominant the Christian, and mostly Catholic, religion was in the culture, to the seeming exclusion of almost every other world religion. We did find one small Buddhist gathering spot, but mostly what we saw were evidences of Christianity.

Over the years, we have seen the Church of the Latter Day Saints increase its presence in Merida's centro in a big way (the Mormon tabernacle is on Calle 70, just south of Calle 65, and now takes up almost the entire block). We have seen various evangelical Christian sects expand in Merida as well, and now it seems that almost every religion is represented here in some way. What we still had not ever seen was any evidence of Islam.

Then the other day, we got this email:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Dear Editor: Assalamo Alaikum - Greetings of Peace!

I am here in Mérida along with Imam Rana Noman, to open the first center in Mexico, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. We would like to meet with you to enter the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and discuss the objectives of our presence in Mexico. If possible, we would like to come during the next week at any time convenient to you.

We Asked Some Questions

After reading some of the articles to which Dr. Sayed referred us, we emailed back and explained that we could not conveniently meet for awhile, but could we do an online interview. In the light of all that has gone on in the news associated with Islam and the Muslim community, we thought it would be important to share what we have learned with our readers. A summary of our question/answer session, supplemented with information from various Spanish-language articles written about Dr. Sayed and his community, are below.

Muslim Community Arrives in Merida

Finally, the religion of Islam has come to Merida. In particular, the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, "a dynamic international movement, reformist and fast growing within Islam. Founded in 1889, the Community has spanned more than 200 countries with membership exceeding tens of millions of followers."

Last November, they announced their presence by having a booth at the annual fair at Xmatkuil. They have rented a space in Merida's centro, and someday hope to build Merida's first mosque. According to an interview they gave to polemicarevista.com, they said that they had tried to establish a presence in Mexico before with no luck. Now, they have opened a center, and they "currently have approximately 100 members throughout Mexico, distributed in Mexico City, Puebla, Merida and a community in Chiapas composed of 70 people." In another interview, in this article, they mentioned that they are still in Mexico in a provisional status. After a few years, according to the law, they will be able to register as a religious association, at which point, they will be able to have all the rights that religious organizations have in this country. At the moment, they are registered as a civil organization. Dr. Sayed also mentioned that his group "opened the first mosque in Guatemala. I was in charge of that. In 1989 that mosque was opened by the Vice President of Guatemala and the head of our community."

The Mission of the Ahmadiyya Community

In another article, Dr. Waseem Sayed, a theoretical physicist by trade, communicated that his group's mission was to "spread the message of peace and brotherhood that must exist between all cultural groups in the world, and to eradicate misconceptions linking the practice of Islam with negative practices such as war, terrorism, and many other incorrect issues that people in general have about Islam." (translation from this article).

In that article, he also explained that the Islam religion believes that all religions come from God, that all prophets, including Jesus, Buddha, Krishna, Zoroaster, Moses and others are all prophets from God.

He added that the concept of the Islamic faith includes "Every religion taught mankind how to live alone and in peace. And the recipe of all religions to establish peace, we believe, is to know and worship God and serve humanity, the creatures of God. Worship means that everything that God has bestowed upon us must be used in the best suitable way and the most appropriately. If a human being has knowledge of how to do surgeries and to serve humanity, then by doing so, he is thanking and praising God. In Islam the concept of worship is constant."

Dr. Sayed shared that he had been asked about the status of women in the Islamic faith. "I explained the true teachings of Islam about women. Islam teaches that women have the rights of inheritance, for instance. In the Quran, it is written that women and men are equal before God spiritually, a statement made by Mohammed 1400 years ago. In the Islamic faith, women have the right to divorce, as well as many other rights that are not given to women in many other religions around the world."

Dr. Sayed also said "Our community exists in more than 206 countries... We have no desire to conquer any land. We have, as a spiritual obligation, no funding from any government, group or interest. Everything is funded by donations from members themselves. We have been blessed with some really great opportunities since arriving here a few months ago to explain to all our neighbors here in Merida the beautiful message of true Islam, as we understand it, summarized in our motto, "Love for All, Hatred for None." We believe this summarizes, in practical terms, the profound implications of the unity and uniqueness of God who has created all of us. If we love God, then how can we hate anyone or not love every one of God's creatures?"

YL:When was the Islam community first established in Merida?Dr. Sayed: About six months ago a couple of our Imams came to do some exploratory work and get to know the town and found it to be wonderfully peaceful and secure place - so they looked for and found a suitable location for a center/mosque - a place that would serve as both a center of operations as well as a place where Muslims could meet and offer the five daily prayers.. During this time they also took the steps to register 'Comunidad Musulmana Ahmadia' as an organization.

YL:If you are the person who has established it, where did you move from? When did you move to Merida?Dr. Sayed: I was sent in mid 2014 to help establish the center/mosque and to get the word out to the local population about the existence of our center and mosque. Imam Noman Rana will be the one who will be taking the helm of our organization here moving forward. He has been serving as Imam in the USA since he arrived there a few years ago from Canada. In Canada, he completed seven years of training in the Jãmia Ahmadiyya Canada (the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community's Muslim Missionary Training College). He will be serving as Imam in Mexico once all the formalities are accomplished. Imam Rana has a wife and two young children currently in New Orleans. They will join him as soon as the necessary paperwork is finished.

YL:Does Imam Noman Rana speak English?Dr. Sayed: His family and he speak English, and he is becoming very fluent in Spanish, by God's Grace and his ongoing efforts.

YL:How did you announce your presence in Merida?Dr. Sayed: I wrote to all consulates and governors of the Autonomous University and the Anahuac Mayab. The US Consul General (Sonia Tsyros) responded, and we went to talk to her. We spent almost an hour talking, explaining and telling her about our plans. We are the first Muslim community established in the USA in 1920. We are the oldest Muslim organization that exists there. We also have the oldest Muslim magazine in the United States. Our meeting with her very interesting and very informative and she was very grateful. One Sunday we went to talk with the Secretary General of the Yucatan Government, but as representatives of our sister organization called Humanity First, which provides humanitarian aid in 37 countries.

YL:How many people do you estimate are in the Islam community now in Merida?Dr. Sayed: Since coming here we have been surprised by the number of calls and enthusiasm with which we have been greeted by people - Muslims and non-Muslims alike. I really have no concrete numbers but based on the number of calls and responses we have experienced to the very limited dissemination of info about ourselves I suspect there are many Muslims in the area maybe even in the hundreds. Several Egyptian students have come to our Friday prayers from UADY. So there are Muslims from abroad also here.

How does your community relate to the entire world of the Muslim religion?Dr. Sayed: There are about 73 main divisions within Islam. We are the last to come, the youngest sect. We believe that our Holy Founder said there is no violence in religion. We don't believe in jihad. Around the world, many other Muslims agree with us. The prophet told us that "only if you are attacked, then you have the right to defend." Everything is happening with ISIS and others, that has nothing to do with Islam.

YL:What else can you tell us about your particular sect?Dr. Sayed: The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Islam is the only Islamic organization to believe that the long awaited Messiah has come in the person of Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (1835-1908) of Qadian, India. Ahmad claims to be the metaphorical second coming of Jesus of Nazareth and the divine guide, whose advent was foretold by the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The Community believes that God sent Ahmad, like Jesus, to end religious wars, condemn bloodshed and to restore morality, tolerance, justice and peace. The coming of Ahmad has brought an unprecedented era of Islamic revival and moderation in relation to other faiths. He condemns Muslims fanatical beliefs and vigorously defends the truth of Islam and its essential teachings that emphasize the mandate: no compulsion in religion.

YL:Do you have one mosque here in Merida? more than one?Dr. Sayed: I believe ours is the only one formally registered and advertised. I believe there are other places where Muslims have been gathering informally to offer their Friday prayers in particular.

YL:What is the purpose of establishing Islam in Merida?Dr. Sayed: Our purpose is to disseminate the beautiful message of love and peace that true Islam teaches. Ours is a purely religious organization that was established in 1889 in Qadian, India by Hazrat Mirza Ghulam Ahmad of Qadian, peace be on him. He claimed to be the Messiah in whose person the prophecies regarding the metaphorical second coming of Jesus were fulfilled. He came to put an end to religious wars, establish peace and unite humanity. Our basic message of, "love for all, hatred for none," stems from this belief in the absolute unity of God. If we love God and He is the Creator of all of us, how can we harbor hatred towards any of His creatures and not love all of them?

YL:Were there already people of the Islamic faith in Merida? or have you come here to encourage people to join the faith? Dr. Sayed: There are Muslims everywhere in the world. But even if there had been no Muslims here, we would have come for the reasons I just mentioned above... to spread the beautiful message of love and peace that true Islam teaches. We believe the universality, uniqueness, and unity of God is a message that needs to be conveyed to every human being. Through this we can all begin the work to recognize and accept the equality of all of humanity, which is the first step to peace. These are fundamental truths that we want to share with everyone. This is the extent of our work. The rest has to do with how people take our message and in the hand of God. The Holy Quran teaches clearly, "There is no compulsion in matters of faith."

YL:What brought Merida to your attention? Dr. Sayed: A member of our community in the US has some business connections here and this was the reason why we came to Merida. It was a wonderful choice. It is such a beautiful and peaceful place and everyone is so very devoted to civic affairs and activities.

YL:What has been the reaction to your arrival in Merida so far?Dr. Sayed: This has been truly amazing. We have been welcomed by one and all. Wherever we have gone we have found the people friendly and inquisitive and very receptive to our message of 'love for all, hatred for none." The nature of questions has been also very impressive. Many professionals have come to our meetings and all of the people have been asking us some very profoundly important questions that have to do with concept of God and modes of worship in Islam.

YL:Many Americans (and others), after 9-11, are wary of the Muslim religion. What would you say to them specifically in regard to the violence that is reportedly visited by Muslim fanatics upon the world these days?Dr. Sayed: When I came here on November 4, 2014, the first thing I did was write to Sonya Tsiros, Consul General of USA in Merida. She very graciously invited me to come and meet her and we spent a good hour discussing our purpose here and all over the world - that of spreading the message of Islam of love and peace and our own Community's basic understanding that the Unity of God and our love for Him demands that we practice 'love for all, hatred for none.' We believe our faith has been hijacked by terrorists who are abusing our faith for their own nefarious objectives. They seem to be working hard to try and influence our Muslim youth all over the world. We feel it is OUR responsibility to counter all such efforts and not just tell others about the peaceful message of Islam but also teach these values to our own children and youth. Much more than this, actually. We believe we must not just focus on speeches and sermons but also involve ourselves as Muslims in the service of God's creatures. This is precisely what the Holy Quran teaches. The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has been doing this since its inception 125 years ago and its record is not unknown to the world. The struggle to emphasize the prohibition against violence and to involve everyone in the doing of good is ongoing. By God's Grace and Mercy, these efforts have not been without fruit. Now we are established in 206 countries of the world and winning the hearts of Muslims all over the world to these views of peace and love. We now number more than 160 million members. I could discuss this in an ongoing basis if anyone wants. Also, anyone who wishes can look at the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and its writings, speeches and works the world over. They can easily do so by scanning their own country's media going back 125 years. The Muslim Sunrise (linked below), the longest running Muslim Magazine in the US (established in 1921) provides a permanent record of our activities in the United States.

I have been interviewed by CNN en Espanol, Radio 104.9 FM EXA, Diario Yucatan, Por Esto, Libertad de Expresion, La Verdad Yucatan etc and all their reports are available on our Facebook page "Comunidad Musulmana Ahmadia de Mexico" if you would like to see these also.

YL:I notice that you have events inviting people to learn about the Islamic faith. Are these conducted in Spanish? English? Any other languages? Dr. Sayed: We do everything in every country in the local language. So although our Spanish may not be very good we conduct everything in Spanish. Sometimes we do translate if there are people in the audience who cannot understand Spanish.

YL:I also notice that you are teaching Arabic to anyone who wants to learn. Do these lessons cost money? If so, how much? Dr. Sayed: This has been the most popular program. And there is a cost. It is the person's time and his or her attention. But we do not charge anyone any money for these lessons.

YL:Does someone need to accept the Islamic faith in order to attend the language classes?
No one needs to accept Islam to attend any of our programs. Our center/mosque is even open for anyone Muslims or not, so long as they wish to worship the One God.

YL:What plans do you have for the future for the Islamic community in Merida?Dr. Sayed: It is too early for future plans. Of course we have a strong desire to build a mosque here and to move to our own permanent location but this is very early. We are currently focused on trying to get everyone to know we are here and we also want to involve ourselves in humanitarian work. We have made some good progress so far on both fronts and we ask everyone to pray for us. We do want to thank everyone for their help and their warm welcome. May God bless everyone.

****
Want to find out more yourself? The following are regular programs that take place at the Muslim Center in Merida located at:

Every Day: Five Daily Prayers at the appointed times.Every Friday: Jummua Prayers at 1 PMEvery Thursday: "Cafe, Pastel e Islam" at 7 PMEvery Saturday: 'Basic Arabic Class' at 4 PMEvery Sunday: "Mi Casa es Tu Casa" get together at 3 PM with light snacks.Admission: All meetings are open to the public. The only cost for entry to any of our meetings is your time and interest.

Comments

Boudy1 year ago

Alsalam Alikom ! I just want to say that I'm pleased and very happy that people like you are everywhere to show what Islam is really about and spreads the massage of peace around the globe. A really close friend of mine is moving to Merida who's interested about learning more about Islam alhamdulilah. She has been attending classes and meetings back in Mexico with some friends from the masjid and I'm glad that she can still be able to learn more and hopefully find the answers she's looking for with your great community after she moves to Merida. Thank you brothers and sisters who work so hard for this and may Allah accept all the worship and the fasting for all Muslims around the world in this great days and holy month of Ramadan! I want to thank you again whom working to make this community better and afford the best to show the real Islam and help people know about the peace and love we stand for.

Missionaries of all faiths have only brought death and destruction wherever they go in the world. The introducton of Islam to Merida is totally unrequited. Merida is a wonderful, peaceful place without Islam.

Dr Sayed should concentrate on Syria, Solmalia, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Phillipines, Afganistan, Pakistan and the the whole of Middle East where his undoubted fervour and energy can be constructively used to educate his fellow Muslims to stop the unremitting violence—beheading, bombs and mass shootings in the name of Islam.

Please would Dr Sayed and his team pack their bags and go to the parts of the world where peaceful Islamic ideals are so desperately needed.

Mike, we are sorry you didn't agree with our quote. I believe the entire book written by the woman we quoted was about the wars between various religions as they argued about their differences instead of recognizing their similarities.

We published this article to introduce this new community to Merida and to let our readers know that they are here, as well as to give them a way to have a meaningful dialogue with the Islam community in Merida if they so choose. Of course we realize that there are some radical followers of the Islamic faith, but we invite you to realize that they are not all radicals. I believe that is the point of the video that is also linked at the bottom of the article, which we invite you to watch.

However, we have no interest in turning the pages of Yucatan Living into a place for a religious debate. We appreciate the comments that have been submitted so far, but at this point, we will be closing Comments for this article. If you would like to further the debate in our Facebook pages, we will be happy to continue it there.

I actually came here to take issue with the ridiculous quote (below) that arrived in my email today to find a 5 page article espousing the joy, love and greatness of the â€œreligion of peaceâ€ arriving in Merida. It is bad enough that North America is espousing and repeating the lies that â€œIslam is peaceâ€ and now it has home to Mexico.

As it relates to the quote that I came to expose (see below). GRACE from GOD by dying for sinners on the cross (Jesus) is the key in Christianity. Islam (which in English means: Submit) is how followers of Islam do the works of their god by forcing people to submit to their god or submit to the sword. In Christianity, God dies for his People. In Islam, unbelievers are killed by peaceful Islamic followers for their god. Yes, I can see how they are profoundly similar. How about you?

â€œCompassion is the key in Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and Christianity. They are profoundly similar.â€ - Karen Armstrong, author of Fields of Blood, Religion and the History of Violence.

From the points Paul asserts, he appears to be one of the handful of detractors that I call 'cut &amp; paste brigade," whose purpose in life is to make sure Islam is not showing up in positive light anywhere.

To create a balance, here is a view presented by a non-Muslim scholar about the teachings of the Holy Quran: http://www.ted.com/talks/lesley_hazelton_on_reading_the_koran?language=en

Paul: AssalamoAlaikum - greetings of peace. Thank you for these comments and I would be happy to discuss any verses that you wish to quote from the Holy Quran if you would be kind enough to give me a reference. But there is no permission in the Holy Quran to lie, much less to kill infidels and certainly the facts contradict what you say about commandments in the Holy Quran in the Meccan and Medinite period of Muhammad's life, peace be on him. If things were as you state, the Jews and the pagans of Medina would certainly have all been killed. And also, upon conquering Mecca, Muslims would have killed all infidels in Mecca - in fact Muhammad forgave them all unconditionally. Much more to the point is that when the Jews were being persecuted and killed in a dark period of Christianity, they were finding sanctuary in Muslim lands and flourishing. Please visit www.alislam.org and study the vast array of materials available there. Especially, I recommend the translations and the commentaries of the Holy Quran that are available and searchable. May God bless you with success in your search for truth. Was-salam - and peace! Waseem

I actually came here to take issue with the ridiculous quote (below) that arrived in my email today to find a 5 page article espousing the joy, love and greatness of the â€œreligion of peaceâ€ arriving in Merida. Are you serious? It is bad enough that North America is espousing and repeating the lies that â€œIslam is peaceâ€ and now YL has drunk the cool-aid? Has anyone one at YL read a newspaper about followers of Islam over the past 1500 years? 25 years? 15 years? This week? It is a tragedy and the start of the demise of Merida that the Mexico residents have even allowed this seed to be planted in Merida. One of the benefits of moving to Merida was to escape the blindness of the North in their attempt to â€œcoexistâ€, while converts to the religion of peace rise up and kill infidels. Just now, another follower of the â€œreligion of peaceâ€ was arrested in Ohio as he planned on attacking the U.S. White House (please donâ€™t forget the 2,000 killed this week in Africa, and the killings in France).

As it relates to the quote that I came to expose (see below). GRACE from GOD by dying for sinners on the cross (Jesus) is the key in Christianity. Islam (which in English means: Submit) is how followers of Islam do the works of their god by forcing people to submit to their god or submit to the sword. In Christianity, God dies for his People. In Islam, unbelievers are killed by peaceful Islamic followers for their god. Yes, I can see how they are profoundly similar. How about you?

â€œCompassion is the key in Islam and Buddhism and Judaism and Christianity. They are profoundly similar.â€ - Karen Armstrong, author of Fields of Blood, Religion and the History of Violence.

Hello. I have read many parts of The Quran and in The Book of the Prophet that says the opposite of what is in this article. Mohammed commanded all believers to give an infidel a chance to become Muslim, and if not, to cut off the infidels head or allow his life as a non person, that is, no rights. The whole goal of Islam seems to be to convert or subjugate all people to your faith. Muslims do not integrate into an existing society and culture, they choose to remain separated in a culture of Islam, and take over the native cultures. The Quran says a believer may use any falsehood to trick a non believer... take his life, wife, possessions. The Medina period of The Quran says many things that are opposite from The Mecca period. Love preaching became intolerance and violent. What action does your "reformed" Islamic sect do to hunt down the Islamic highjackers you refer to? I am confused.